Hurricane Hector to stir dangerous surf in Hawaii this week

August 10, 2018, 12:12:31 PM EDT

As AccuWeather meteorologists predicted, Major Hurricane Hector, a Category 4 storm as of Thursday local time, passed well south of Hawaii, including the Big Island, at midweek.

Hurricanes that track in from the east and close by to Hawaii typically encounter cooler waters and weaken before reaching the islands. The most destructive hurricanes to hit Hawaii, such as Iniki in 1992, have typically approached the islands from the south.

However, Hector tracked through a stream of very warm water well to the south of the islands.

Could Hector become a typhoon?

Hector may remain a hurricane for days as it travels well west of Hawaii.

"There is a reasonable chance that Hector will survive to cross the International Date Line early next week," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Steve Travis. "If it does, it will become Typhoon Hector."

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are essentially the same type of intense tropical systems. The name is just a matter of formality depending on which basin the storm is located in, such as the Atlantic and eastern Pacific versus the western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Notable storms to cross from C &/or E Pacific into the western Pacific, including #John (1994), which was both the longest-lasting & farthest-traveling TC ever observed. Interestingly, but not surprising all these storms crossed the dateline in years of a developing #ElNino. pic.twitter.com/vT0bKpPRc4

A significant impact related to heavy seas and surf is occurring on many of the islands. Residents and tourists may notice a change in the weather into the end of the week.

High level clouds from the distant storm spread over the sky across much of the islands on Wednesday. These clouds will continue to dim and block the sun at times into Friday.

"Hector passed far enough to the south so that no important wind issues impacted the Big Island," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

"However, very rough surf is expected to impact mostly south- and east-facing coastal areas of the Big Island," Kottlowski said. "There will also be locally rough surf over the rest of the Hawaiian Islands through Friday."

Swimming and boating will be dangerous, and it will be important to heed local warnings, advisories and beach postings.

In lieu of tropical storms, near-shore waves on the south-facing shores of the islands tend to average 2-3 feet.

"Near-shore frequent waves along the south- and east-facing coastal areas are likely to frequent 6-10 feet with occasional higher waves into Friday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

"Because of the south to north motion of the swells, the surf conditions will be unusually rough on the south-facing shorelines of the islands as Hector passes by," Sosnowski said.

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As a potent storm slides across the interior West, shifting winds will create difficult travel for some motorists across Southern California and the southwestern United States in general into the middle of this week.